


Funfair

by Spurlunk (orphan_account)



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-10
Updated: 2014-12-10
Packaged: 2018-02-28 23:41:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2751512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Spurlunk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the story of how Rocket and Groot met.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Funfair

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Northern_Star](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northern_Star/gifts).



At first, Rocket sat in sulky silence in one corner of the room. It was small for Groot, whose head would brush the ceiling if he stood up straight, but for Rocket it was spacious enough. The walls were rough, and the door was a foggy transparent window that was made out of something a lot stronger than glass. There was a hole in one corner and a cot in another. That was it. While Rocket fumed, Groot seemed perfectly content to chew on the flowers growing out of his shoulders and not say a word. So gross. If Rocket tried that he'd just end up hacking out a hairball.

Finally, Rocket couldn't take it anymore. It had probably only been about ten minutes, but that was the longest he'd kept his mouth shut in longer than he could remember.

"What's your problem, anyway? I never asked for your help," he said.

"I am Groot." Groot said.

"And I'm Rocket, so what."

"I am Groot."

"What the hell even are you, can you even say anything besides I am freaking Groot?"

"I am Groot."

Rocket let out an annoyed huff and didn't speak for a little while, fastidiously making sure his fur was under control, not a single bit out of place. He hadn't asked for this overgrown tree's help, but he had gotten it anyway.  

The common area of the prison was usually chaos, but well-choreographed chaos. It was the center of the compound, where the prisoners were allowed to mingle for a few hours every day. With the planet being a sort of trading hub, there were aliens of every size, shape and color, but everyone knew exactly where their place was. Except Rocket. He was always getting into everyone's face. He knew he was compensating for his small size and cuddly appearance, but he didn't care.

"You look a hell of a lot like a skunk to me."

"I'm not a freaking' skunk I'm a genetically modified raccoon - "

"You're not even big enough to bite my finger off, little sewer rat," the yellow skinned alien said with a smile. The other prisoners had gathered around, not one of them was a fan of Rocket and to be honest he didn't really care about any of them either.

"Call me names one more time, you nasty brown turd, and I'll bite your head off!" Rocket yelled, and the alien laughed. Rocket didn't wait, he hurled his little body at the alien, aiming at his head. Unfortunately, his jaw was not quite big enough to bite it.

"That tickles," the alien said, and Rocket growled, twisting over and latching his teeth onto the ear, trying to bite it off. The alien had had enough, and started flailing around trying to pull Rocket off. Groot slowly stood up from where he had been sitting. Rocket had noticed him at first, but dismissed him immediately. He was more of a tree than a person, and just as useless. Rocket was about to be proven wrong. Before he  really even knew what was happening, Groot was in the middle of everything, pulling Rocket off the yellow alien with one branch and using the other to slowly grow thick branches around his neck, lifting him all the way off the ground, his legs dangling. The alien was choking, gasping for breath, and Groot said "I am Groot".

"I'm gonna destroy- " the alien managed to choke out, and Groot squeezed tighter, until he stopped struggling. Then he dropped him on the ground. No one else, not even Rocket, had a chance to even say anything before half a dozen prison guards showed up,  and escorted Groot and Rocket at gunpoint to an isolation unit. Neither of them was deemed suitable to mix with the rest of the prison population.

Now, however, Groot seemed perfectly happy to sit in silence, growing out his finger branches and then breaking off the edges, tossing them in his mouth and crunching on them happily.

"That's cannibalism. Or self-cannibalism. You're disgusting." Rocket said. Groot didn't answer, and Rocket flopped down on his stomach on the threadbare cot, since his cellmate wasn't using it.

"I can't help being a pain in the ass, I was programmed that way. "

"I am Groot?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Whoever made me thought it would be funny. Find a cute cuddly creature and make him into a freaking killing machine with anger problems. I don't even know how long I'm gonna live, so I figured, seize the day, right?"

"I am Groot."

"I've never backed down from a fight, ever! I've been in prison before and gotten out, and I'll do it again."

"I am Groot," Groot said, nodding in agreement.

"What did you get thrown in here for? Someone try to use you for firewood?"

"I am Groot!" Groot said, his face horrified.

"Not that then. Well I got thrown in here because my people betrayed me. Bunch of lousy freakin - "

"I am Groot?"

"I was genetically modified to be what you see now," Rocket said, gesturing at his body. "I was sold to some assholes who thought they could use me as some kind of a sideshow freak, but they were stupid and I killed them both. I was trying to get hold of a ship to get off this dumb planet and go steal some stuff, so I recruited a few people to help me but they sold me out. I was gonna give them ten percent each! Jerks."

"I am Groot."

"I know!"

The lights in the hallway flicked out, and all was dark.

"I am Groot," Groot said, and climbed onto the bed next to Rocket. There was barely enough space for the both of them, and Groot picked up Rocket and put him on his chest. Rocket tried to protest, but Groot was too strong, so finally he just gave in and settled down. Within moments, Rocket was sound asleep. Groot thought of his home planet, peaceful and comforting. He had never quite belonged there, but the sense of community, of being one with others - it was a feeling he'd never been able to capture again. With this small angry creature on his chest, breathing deeply, and peaceful in sleep as he never was awake, Groot thought maybe he'd found it. He shut his eyes. Soon his breathing matched his new friend's, and both were fast asleep.

X

Rocket had never been a patient creature. On the third day, Groot was growing flowers and braiding them together to string them along the walls of their cell when Rocket finally lost it.

"I can't take this, I can't take it for one more second, I'm not spending the rest of my life in a tiny cell decorated with freaking flowers! Groot, we're busting out," he said, climbing to his feet.

"I am Groot? I am Groot." Groot said.

"Good, because I'm going to need your help." Rocket said. Groot indicated that he was up for whatever Rocket had planned. Rocket smiled, his eyes full of mischief.

Four hours later, Rocket and Groot were covered in dirt and blood, but they were on board a small, junky spaceship heading for an unknown planet. Most of the blood wasn't theirs, and neither was the ship, but even if they didn't know where they were going, they were both pleased. Rocket was happy that he was out of jail and free to go steal more things, and Groot was happy that Rocket was happy.

"That was freaking' awesome!" Rocket said, and Groot smiled.

"Now let me just get this ship under control," he said, fiddling around with the buttons on the panel. Groot sat down next to him, and looked out at the stars.

"I am Groot!" Groot said, and Rocket looked up to see the light brown surface of a planet below them was coming into focus at a rather alarming rate.

"Yeah, I know, hang on, this ship is a piece of crap, I've got it, hold on," Rocket said, concentrating and working as hard as he could, his fingers flying over the control panel, but they were through the atmosphere and the ground was coming up to meet them, and Groot let out a panicked "I AM GROOT!" before they made impact.

Rocket saw Groot climb out of the ship just as it began to burn, slowly but steadily, and he followed his tall friend out, lying back against a dusty rock far enough away from the smoldering ship that he was not in danger. Groot joined him.

"I am Groot?"

"Yeah, that could have gone better," Rocket said once he'd caught his breath. He looked around. They were in the middle of a desert, with not much besides dust and dirt for miles. Groot stood up and picked up Rocket, putting him on his shoulders, and started walking. Rocket was too worn out to care.

Groot walked and walked and walked. When Rocket said he saw something, he thought he was looking at a mirage at first. An amusement park? In the middle of the desert? But when Groot said "I am Groot," he knew if they were hallucinating at least it was a shared delusion.  

There were roller coasters and a Ferris wheel. Games and prizes, food stands and most of all, people. Hundreds of people milling around, all different kinds of aliens of every shape and size. You needed a ticket to get in, but Groot and Rocket had no trouble eluding those who were monitoring the front gate. Groot may be tall and Rocket may be short, but in this diverse crowd, they fit right in. Groot made a beeline for a water fountain, and drank happily as Rocket picked a few pockets, gathering up what he had and bringing it back over to Groot.

"I don't have any money and unless you've got pockets hidden somewhere, neither do you. I do have tickets though," he said.

"I am Groot?"

"You use them to play games and stuff. Win prizes. Come on," he said, and Groot followed Rocket over to the arcade. The first game involved shooting a dart gun at balloons, and Rocket hit every single one, winning a pink stuffed tentacle creature. He wasn't sure what it was.

"You take it," he said, thrusting it at Groot and moving on to the next game, which involved a crossbow.  Groot looked at the toy, and then looked around. He saw a young blue skinned alien eyeing it, and bent down, carefully handing it to him. The boy grinned, showing sharp, pointy teeth, and ran off with his prize. Meanwhile, Rocket won his game, hitting every single target, but the alien manning it seemed a little more annoyed than anything else.

"Pick your prize," she said, gesturing at the toys above her head.

"How about meal tickets?" Rocket asked. Ten minutes later, he was munching on a corn dog and Groot was eating an ice cream.

"I am Groot?" he asked, looking at a rollercoaster that went upside down and sideways.

"Sure, why not," Rocket said, and they walked over to get in line. Once they got to the front, the pimply  teen with porcupine spikes shooting out of his shoulders shook his head.

"Height restriction," he said.

"What, for both of us?" Rocket said, annoyed.

"He's too tall and you're too short. You won't fit. Sorry."

"We came to this park to have a good time and we're going on this ride! We paid to get in just like everyone else!" Rocket said angrily.

"I am Groot," Groot reminded him. They hadn't paid at all.

"Shut up," Rocket hissed.

"I'm going to need you to step away, you're holding up the line."

"I'll hold up the line if I - what???" Rocket said, and Groot pointed a thin wooden finger up at the Ferris Wheel.

"Is there a height restriction on the Ferris Wheel?" he asked the young man.

"No, I don't think so."

Rocket headed off towards the Ferris Wheel, Groot eagerly following behind him. The line was short, and they got into a seat together, Groot growing flowers on his fingers happily and braiding them into a crown to put on Rocket's head.

"Seriously?" he said.

"I am Groot."

"Fine, just this once, but I'm taking it off as soon as we get back on the ground." Rocket said grumpily. As the Ferris Wheel slowly made its way around, Groot and Rocket looked out over the desert. This planet had three pink suns, and they were just beginning to set, sending bolts of blue and orange color through the pale green sky.

"I am Groot," Groot said once they reached the top. The Ferris Wheel stopped for the moment so they could soak it in.

"Yeah, it really is," Rocket said softly, unable to tear his eyes away from the spectacular view.

"I am Groot," Groot said, plucking the flower crown off Rocket's head and popping it in his mouth, chewing contentedly. Rocket studied the tree alien's face pensively.

"You know what Groot? You may be a weird self-eating annoying overgrown tree, but I think I'm gonna keep you around."

"I am Groot!" Groot said happily.

"I am Groot," Rocket agreed, and the Ferris Wheel began to move.


End file.
